Buy Your Next Car From a Vending Machine

Vending machines keep us going with tasty treats and thirst-quenching drinks. Some of them are quite fancy and supply hot, fresh-baked food like pizza. Taking things to the next level, one company is now distributing used cars from its new multi-story vending machines.

It’s the latest way to lure buyers into purchasing a new car and make the process more fun. Carvana is selling used cars through a small number of multi-story vending machines. There are currently three locations in Austin, Nashville, and Houston.

The size of each site varies depending on zoning laws. You’ll find a five-story structure in Austin and an eight-story structure in Houston. At the Austin location, there is 7,600 square feet that’s worth about $1.35 million. It’s a huge structure, but one that takes only six to 18 months to build depending on the site.

What consumers see is a big glass tower that shows off the shiny, four-wheeled goodies inside. It’s just like that tempting candy bar only more expensive and less likely to make you gain weight.

The process starts when a customer purchases a car online. Rather than going with the usual delivery option, customers choose on-site pickup to have their car delivered to the vending machine. Once the customer is at the site, an employee hands them a token. Insert the token into a slot and an automated system retrieves the car. After signing a few papers to make the whole thing legal, the customer is out the door in their new ride.

Carvana schedules deliveries 20 minutes apart to avoid waiting so you won’t have to waste time waiting for your turn to play with the giant vending machine. The whole process takes just 11 minutes to complete and is quicker than their usual at-home delivery option. Using the delivery option, Carvana can deliver only four cars per day so these vending machines greatly speed the process and increase overall deliveries.

Not only is it quicker, it avoids tying up the employee who would otherwise have to be on the road for the drive to and from the consumer’s home. It also eliminates the need to purchase larger delivery vehicles. Not only is it more cost-effective for Carvana, it’s more fun for customers. Who doesn’t want to put a token in a slot and have their car find its way down a huge, glass tower?